Future of Bird Sanctuary in doubt

Details

Published on Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Photos by Eoin Devereux. Jake Birch has looked after the birds at Rotary Park in Neepawa, since it opened in 2000. 

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner

The Rotary Park Bird Sanctuary in Neepawa may have to cease operations, unless someone steps up soon to take over its caretaking duties. The sanctuary, which first opened in 2000, has been kept operational by Jake Birch and a small, but dedicated group of people over the years. But at the end of August, Birch and fellow volunteer George Burnett will permanently step down from the job, saying the physical toll is starting to catch up with them.

“After so many years, we’re getting older and felt that we could not do justice to the ongoing maintenance and care for the birds,” said Birch. “My arthritis makes [the job] a little tougher and George has his own [ailment that takes a toll]. But anyway, if someone could take over, it would be nice.”

The search for new volunteers has been ongoing for nearly a year. This effort first began in Nov. 2015, when Birch made a presentation to Neepawa Town Council, requesting assistance from the municipality to aid with the care of the animals residing there. Council took the request under advisement and suggested that Birch should contact local organizations and service groups to get volunteer support. A plea for assistance was made to the public, but no one has been able to step up in any long term capacity. Birch said as time continues to wind down, the sense of urgency to find a suitable replacement increases.

“If we can’t find anyone to take over, I guess, we’ll just have to sell the birds off and shut it down. The only thing is, I think [the benefactors] who bought the new emus. I’m sure they wouldn’t like to see them sold,” stressed Birch. “Losing the sanctuary would be a real shame. There are so many people who come out there on a regular basis. The [number of people] that go down there is unreal. You go down there on some random Saturday or Sunday, and there’s up to 200 people there. There’s weddings and reunions and [people] love it there because of the birds.”

Birch noted that the job itself only involves feeding and watering the animals, as well as occasionally cleaning out the shed. He said once you are used to the daily routine, those duties only take about half an hour to complete.

“If somebody does take it over, I can show them exactly what needs to be done and how. It’s not complicated. It’s just the physical labour I can’t do anymore. I like [the job] and I wish I could keep doing it, but I can’t,” noted Birch. “It’s a really nice place, something Neepawa is proud of. For years, I worked at the water treatment plant and I used to look over at the sanctuary’s location before there was anything there and think, ‘What a waste of such a great, green space.’ Over the years, the Rotary Club has been great with donations, individual donors supporting it as well, it’s been unreal. The kids enjoy it there. Seniors as well. People from out of the community come to visit. It would be shame to just see it all disappear.”

Any organization or individuals who would like to assist with keeping the sanctuary open are asked to contact Leisure Services at (204) 476-7614, who can then contact Birch to arrange training.